research

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Plague Bacteria Linked to Death of Scientist

University of Chicago geneticist exposed to weakened strain

(Newser) - A 60-year-old researcher at the University of Chicago died earlier this month from an infection that may have been set off by the bacteria that causes the plague. Malcolm Casadaban was working with a weakened strain of the bacteria that is normally harmless, and the CDC has been called in...

Save the Planet: Use a Condom

Studies point to environmental toll of each kid

(Newser) - You’ve got your hybrid, your low-watt bulbs, and your solar panels: what’s the next step to saving the planet? Try a pack of condoms. New studies point to the hefty environmental toll of each child, particularly in America, the Washington Post reports. Every kid born in the US...

'Jesus Burial Box' Trial Gets Thorny
 'Jesus Burial Box' 
 Trial Gets Thorny 
ANALYSIS
Sep 5, 2009 4:18 PM CDT

'Jesus Burial Box' Trial Gets Thorny

Judge skeptical after witnesses seemingly contradict own testimony

(Newser) - The public is already frowning on a Tel Aviv man accused of forging the burial box of Jesus' brother James, but the judge in the case has hinted that the case is weak, Matthew Kalman writes in Time. Two scientists, witnesses for the prosecution, have testified that geological conditions could...

Need to Think Hard? Hold a Big Clipboard

Holding heavy objects makes us bear down, study suggests

(Newser) - Holding heavier objects could affect your thoughts and how you deal with problems. A University of Amsterdam researcher broke subjects into two groups, giving half a 1.5-pound clipboard and the rest a 2.3-pound clipboard. He then asked them several questions and discovered that the mere 0.8-pound difference...

Forget Comfort Food: We Shun It in Turmoil

Studies suggest we don't seek solace in the familiar

(Newser) - Conventional wisdom has it that when we face big changes, we look to the familiar to get us through—whether it’s comfort food or music we’ve loved for years. But new studies suggest the opposite is true, that “change begets change,” in the words of one...

Go Easy on the Candles
 Go Easy on 
 the Candles 
health study
Aug 21, 2009 1:00 PM CDT

Go Easy on the Candles

(Newser) - Don't go overboard on the candles, researchers warn. The fumes of paraffin wax candles can contribute to cancer and asthma, though it would take years of heavy use to cause a problem, the BBC reports. “An occasional paraffin candle and its emissions will not likely affect you,” says...

Dogs as Smart as 2-Year-Olds
 Dogs as Smart as 2-Year-Olds 
Aug 9, 2009 6:32 AM CDT

Dogs as Smart as 2-Year-Olds

(Newser) - It won't surprise most dog owners, but now scientists know it: The average dog is as smart as a 2-year-old child, reports the Telegraph. Dogs understand up to 250 words and gestures, can count to 5, and do basic calculations, researchers have found. "Obviously, you can't have a conversation...

Touch of Money Can Help You Resist Pain

(Newser) - The feel of green can make people more resistant to low-level pain, NPR reports. Building on earlier research about the psychological power of money, experts in China conducted a study asking subjects to dip their fingers in water heated to 122 degrees Fahrenheit; those who had counted money ahead of...

Scientists Find First Human Infected With Gorilla HIV

Disease continues to evolve

(Newser) - A woman from Cameroon living in Paris is the first human discovered to be infected with a form of HIV found in gorillas, HealthDay reports. The finding is yet another indication that the disease continues to mutate and to be transmitted by primates. The woman, 62, has not developed symptoms...

Jellyfish Journeys May Affect Climate

Creatures' movements may carry carbon dioxide to ocean depths

(Newser) - Jellyfish may be secretly affecting the climate of the oceans: Their movements appear to help change the balance of carbon in the atmosphere, NPR reports. Many jellyfish hide from predators deep underwater during the day and head to the surface at night for a snack, says an oceanographer. When they...

Cats Are Left or Right-Pawed

(Newser) - Cats may appear ambidextrous when pawing a ball of string but actually lean lefty or righty when it comes to tough tasks, the New Scientist reports. It comes down to sex: girl kitties are mostly righties and boys lefties, say researchers at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland. Hormone levels...

What Your BLT Says About You
 What Your BLT Says About You 
Jul 23, 2009 1:50 PM CDT

What Your BLT Says About You

Sandwich choices offer insight into personality, love connections

(Newser) - Online dating sites and jury-selection pools may have a new criterion for determining personality traits: sandwich choice. A new study breaks down the deli line, finding, among other things, that BLT lovers are devoted perfectionists who are best matched with loyal, unselfish seafood-salad lovers, the Chicago Tribune reports. More culinary...

Fetuses Form Memories: Study
 Fetuses Form Memories: Study 
Jul 16, 2009 10:55 AM CDT

Fetuses Form Memories: Study

At 30 weeks, have 10-minute memory

(Newser) - Fetuses can form memories, an important indicator of nervous-system maturation that may help doctors detect developmental problems, Dutch researchers say. Fetuses exposed to sound and vibration for 1 second every 30 seconds became accustomed to the stimuli, a process known as habituation. "Habituation is a form of learning,"...

Great Whites Hunt Like Serial Killers

(Newser) - Great white sharks lurk in the dark and follow young victims much like serial killers on the prowl, the AP reports. Far from being random attackers, the sharks pursue specific victims from 100 yards off—far enough to see but not be seen—hiding in areas they know well. "...

Gay Animals Key to Species' Survival: Study

'Same-sex behavior' seen all over animal kingdom

(Newser) - Homosexual behavior is almost everywhere among animals—penguins, dolphins, even fruit flies. And same-sex bonds may be a key adaptation that helps species survive, the Daily Telegraph reports. One-third of a Hawaiian albatross population is raised by two moms because there are so few males, researchers observed. That adaptation has...

Dog's 'Guilty' Look Is All in Your Head

(Newser) - You can tell when Rover’s misbehaved by that guilty look on his face, right? Ruff—er, wrong, researchers say. If owners believed their dogs had misbehaved, they projected that famed "guilty" expression onto the animals’ faces regardless of whether any rule-breaking had happened, a new study says. Any...

If You Snooze, You Cruise: Scientists

Napping, dreaming boost problem-solving skills, say researchers

(Newser) - Napping—particularly if it includes dreaming—may help people think more creatively, the Telegraph reports. Researchers gave young adults creative word-association tasks in the morning, then allowed some to sleep. The extra time and z's appeared to improve their scores on the same tasks; on new tasks, patients who had...

Revolted? You May Be Conservative

Studies suggest those on right have weaker stomachs

(Newser) - Those easily repulsed by a creepy bug or bloody scene may lean to the right, new studies suggest. People who are easily grossed out are particularly likely to take conservative stances on homosexuality, LiveScience reports. Surveys using scales for “Disgust Sensitivity” and political ideology helped researchers draw the conclusions;...

Nazis Ran a Staggering 20K Concentration Camps

Decade-long study could change scholars' 'mental universe'

(Newser) - A year's work on a new Holocaust encyclopedia pointed researchers to some 15,000 concentration camps they hadn’t known about, a finding that could shift the public's perception of the Holocaust, the Washington Post reports. “Instead of thinking of main death camps, people are going to understand that...

Medical Bills Linked to 62% of Bankruptcies

Many bankrupt despite having health insurance, researchers find

(Newser) - Medical bills were a factor in 62% of American personal bankruptcies in 2007, marking a 50% rise over 6 years, a study found. Some three-quarters of these families couldn’t stay afloat despite having health insurance, Reuters reports. “Most medical debtors were well-educated, owned homes, and had middle-class occupations,...

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